


Shed

by Humbae



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AU, Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe, Endgame, Gen, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Loki Whump, Magic, Magical Exhaustion, New Asgard, Tony lives, Whump, little bit of violence, new enemy, safety blanket
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-07-23 23:33:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20016604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Humbae/pseuds/Humbae
Summary: AU. Returning from the Time Heist, the Avengers bring back a souvenir with the Tesseract.Loki and Thor are recuperating in New Asgard. A visit from Tony disrupts the peace with news of trouble.





	1. Chapter 1

“Okay, nobody panic, but there’s a snake in this briefcase,” Tony said as he slowly lowered the lid back down. The others around him looked at him with varying degrees of bemusement. Except for Thor who covered his face with his sizable palm and shook his head.

“Let me see,” the Asgardian said and strode towards the silver case. Tony offered it, more curious than worried now. Thor yanked it open to reveal a small dark green snake slithering around the Tesseract.

“Loki, get out of there right this instant!” Thor bellowed, prompting a few raised eyebrows around them. The snake did nothing.

“Are you sure that’s -- “ Tony started, but at that moment the snake dropped out of the briefcase and transformed into the person responsible for the destruction of New York. Thor faced his brother and raised his arm. Tony was certain he would punch Loki in the face, as would be well deserved, but instead, Thor caught him in a hug that lifted the slighter man’s feet off the ground.

“Brother! I thought I lost you for good!”

Loki seemed confused about the enthusiasm. He still had the muzzle over his mouth so he couldn’t say anything, but his eyes flicking quickly to scan everything in the room told of his unease.

“Oh boy,” Tony muttered. The slamming of a door behind him alerted him to Barton’s departure.

“Oh boy,” he repeated, louder this time. Everyone ignored him, their eyes were transfixed on the Asgardians. Thor finally set his brother down on the floor and took a step back.

“You look so young,” he said. Tony couldn’t comprehend how one could tell the difference of a couple of years on beings that could reach a lifespan of thousands. Thor’s appearance was another story, what with him losing and gaining eyes and weight and hair length, very obvious visual changes. Tony could hardly follow where his fellow Avenger stood these days.

“The snake’s a dude,” Rocket said. Tony suppressed his sudden impulse to giggle.

“And a very troublesome dude at that,” he said. Loki’s eyes snapped to him, and Tony could almost feel the hatred in that gaze. Thor claimed that Loki had died a hero protecting their people, but this was not that Loki. This was the ambitious maniac who had tried to take over Earth, making him bitter and potentially vengeful in addition to troublesome following his failure.

“We have all the stones,” Steve said, drawing everyone’s attention. “We’ll continue with the plan.”

“Just like that?” Tony asked. He pointed at the empty space where Nat had failed to appear earlier. He still half-expected her to return, despite Clint’s brief account of the events. Thinking that she was actually permanently gone was not something he could process at present. “Not a moment of silence for our dear departed spy master?”

Tony could feel the tension in the room rising. Banner shrank into himself, which was a pretty impressive feat for a guy his size, and Scott was silent for once, as were Rhodey and Nebula. Thor grabbed his hammer, the small one, and the air crackled, making Rocket’s fur poof up. Only Loki looked unaffected, ostensibly more interested in the ceiling than in what was going on around him.

“Natasha gave her life for this mission. The least we can do to honour her is to complete it. To restore everything that was lost.” Steve met Tony’s gaze with unwavering determination. Before they could fall into a staring contest, Rocket drew their attention.

“Well what are we waiting for. Put the glove on and bring everyone back, no point standing around like useless lumps of meat.”

“Our eloquent rodent friend has a point. If we’re gonna go for it, then let’s just go for it,” Tony said. Without pausing for protests or further comments, he retrieved the gauntlet they had prepared, and waited for everyone to put their stones in. One by one, the slots were filled, and dread started to creep into his mind. As he and Banner had been making the contraption, he’d decided that he would be the one to wear it. His feeble human body would struggle with it, but the task was his. He couldn’t ask a single one of his friends to take on the burden he suspected might be lethal. This would be his ultimate atonement for all the past sins, both his own and his father’s. They had made the world a worse place with their weapons, but this sacrifice would hopefully shift his karma back to positive. It was pure maths after all, when literally half the population was in question. His hands shook as he held the last creation he would ever build. But as he was slipping the glove on, a larger hand stopped his.

“You wouldn’t survive,” Thor said as he reached for the gauntlet. Tony was about to protest, but a tackle from the side tossed him off balance.

“Hey, watch it --” he fell silent when he noticed who had taken his place by Thor’s side. Of course, it was his brother. Loki was trying to say something through the muzzle, but his words were undecipherable. Thor didn’t continue putting the glove on though. The others were stepping closer to them, keeping a cautious distance, but visibly on guard. Tony saw more than one weapon peek out from pockets and sleeves.

“If we take that away, do you promise to behave like a good little god?” Tony asked. He expected a derisive look in return, but Loki turned unusually meek all of a sudden. He only nodded and offered his hands to them. Tony hadn’t meant the cuffs, only the muzzle, but removing either was out of his power. Thor would make the call since only he had the ability to control the Asgardian restraints, but at the moment he looked incapable of deciding anything.

“Remember, that’s not your brother as you remember him,” Tony said. He didn’t know how much Loki had changed in the intervening years, but this version from the past was definitely deranged and could not be trusted.

“It is, though,” Thor said. “And I understand him better now. Back then I didn’t.”

“With all due respect, we can’t release a mass murderer. He’s best left bound,” Steve said. Tony’s eyebrows reached for his hairline. Their ultimate paragon of virtue and naive faith seemed to have acquired a couple of sharper edges since New York. Tony nodded approvingly.

“Leave the cuffs on, just remove the gag. He can’t use his magic like that, right?” Tony asked. The cuffs had been presented to them as anti-magic ones, but clearly they couldn’t be fully trusted since Loki had managed to transform into a snake with them on.

Thor grunted and did as bid. As soon as the muzzle was off his mouth, Loki stretched his jaws wide. There were red marks were the metal had pressed against his skin.

“Destroy the stones, immediately, before Thanos can use them,” he said. The reactions around them varied from sardonic snorts to awkward glances at the floor.

“Yeah, about that. Bit too late. Half the universe is already gone, you missed the party,” Tony said. He kept his tone light and his words mocking, even when the hurt of the tragedy still haunted him. But there was no time for sentimentality now. They had a chance to set things right. “Which brings us back to the matter at hand, namely, the hand.”

Tony indicated the red and gold gauntlet. The gems were glowing softly, combining their colours in a muted rainbow. Someone would have to wear it soon, and revert the path of humanity to what it had been before Thanos happened.

“I’ll do it,” Thor said. “You humans can’t handle the strain of the stones.”

“Neither can you,” Loki said. “I, however, have experience of controlling the stones and --”

“Forget it.” Tony hadn’t noticed when Clint had come back to the room, but his voice froze the air between them.

“He’s not going anywhere near them.”

“It’s, umm, true though, a human can’t handle them.” Everyone turned to look at Banner who squared his shoulders under the stares. “I mean, not him either, but how about me?”

It made sense. The Hulk would protect Banner from the full effect, while having enough lucidity to complete the deed. Tony didn’t like it, but he couldn’t argue with the logic. Having nothing further to comment, he stepped aside and allowed the large green form to approach the gauntlet. It would adjust to Banner’s fist size automatically, so there really was no reason for Tony to linger.

“For Earth,” he said, inclining his head at Banner. He pretended not to notice the sweat beading on his friend’s forehead.

“For the universe,” Rocket corrected. “Not just your stinking planet that got screwed.”

“For the entire limitless multiverse,” Tony declared. “Do it.”

Banner needed no further prompt. He inserted his hand into the glove, eyes closed, and recoiled almost immediately, but the gauntlet was already properly on and held tight. The next few moments were chaotic with the stones working their magic, taking a toll on Banner, and the sudden arrival of none other than Thanos himself from an alternate past. Tony and the others were caught in the explosion and buried under rubble in various locations. They didn’t know if the reverse snap had worked, didn’t know how Thanos had gotten there, didn’t know the condition of their comrades. All Tony could focus on was survival and helping those he could find near him. There were bright lights and sounds of battle, and the scent of freshly turned soil, but he couldn’t make sense of any of it. Fighting hard to collect himself, Tony almost missed the moment when everyone they had lost returned.

“Mr Stark!”

The voice brought a smile to Tony’s lips. No one could see it under his helmet, but it was a private smile anyway. He hadn’t failed the kid. Permanently, at least. Because he _had_ failed him, had failed them all, but they had finally set things right. The tentative happiness he had discovered in the new world would no longer be tainted by the guilt of having found something more precious than he had ever thought possible while others had lost everything. Morgan, Pepper, peace, he could perhaps convince himself he’d earned them now.

A rogue blast from some sort of energy weapon nearly hit Tony. He swerved to the right and turned to face the direction of the main fight. There were pockets of smaller combat everywhere, but Thanos had drawn all the big guns on himself. As happy as Tony was to see everyone back, he had no time to rejoice. Emotions could wait, defeating Thanos couldn’t. He followed the greatest commotion and found young Parker scrambling away with the gauntlet. The stones were still there, the root of all their misery. Of course Thanos was after them. He flew over to the kid and held out his hands.

“Gimme, I have an idea,” he said.

“Sure thing, Mr Stark. It’s getting kinda hot here.”

They dodged a few explosions and a couple of bullets, focusing solely on the gauntlet. Tony saw some of their airborne allies chase away several enemy attackers, but he couldn’t keep track of them all. There were just too many hostiles everywhere, but he had an idea. He was pretty sure he could pull it off, but still, he hesitated before inserting his hand into the glove. It fit him perfectly and he could feel the raw power emanating from the gems. Now if ever was the time to use it and send Thanos to the pits of hell, but his fingers refused to co-operate.

“Morgan,” he whispered. If he died now, she would grow up without a father, never knowing just how overwhelmingly much he loved her. But if he didn’t do it, Thanos would win and she might never grow up at all. He couldn’t leave her, but he had to.

“For you.”

Before Tony could snap his fingers, a bolt of blue lightning shocked his suit hard enough to jam it. He could do nothing while someone approached him from behind and grabbed his arm.

“What, Thor? What are you doing?” he asked when the god of thunder pulled the glove off his hand. But it wasn’t Thor who answered him.

“This power is not for humans,” Loki said. “You cannot even begin to comprehend how to wield it.”

“Loki,” Thor warned. The brothers shared a long look.

“As promised,” Loki took the gauntlet from Thor, “I shall become your saviour. You may thank me later.”

Tony still couldn’t move properly, but his suit was starting to recover from the overload. Since when had Thor’s thunder been more powerful than he could handle he didn’t know, but he saw the possibilities for refinement and experimentation. But that would have to wait, now his focus was on the god with the Napoleon complex who had already tried to subjugate Earth once.

“Thor, please think this through. Your brother can’t be trusted with the stones.”

“He has more than proven his loyalty. He gave his life for us.” Tony could swear he saw unshed tears gleaming in Thor’s eyes. But blind sentimentality would not aid them now.

“I’m sure he has, but this is not that Loki. Remember the battle of New York. Remember how he was back then.”

“He is also right here and can hear you,” Loki said. He slipped the gauntlet on his hand, wincing as the size adjusted with a mechanical whir. “Trust me, I have no love for you Earthlings, but Thanos takes precedence. With this, the universe can be rid of him for good.”

Before Tony could protest, the stones shone so brightly he had to close his eyes. A rumble surrounded them and he felt the wind rising. Something was definitely happening but his sensors couldn’t explain it. They only screamed danger at him, registering forces off the scales, and he had some pretty extensive scales.

“Thor!” he yelled over the noise. “If we can’t stop this, how about we get some healthy distance between us and whatever your brother’s doing!”

Thor didn’t need telling twice. He grabbed Tony under his arm and flew across the battlefield to where the others had congregated. As they watched, the glow from the stones engulfed Loki entirely and they could hear him scream. Nothing seemed to be happening though. Thanos was still engaged with Captain Marvel in close combat that threatened the geography of the valley they were in, and his minions fought the Wakandan forces all around them.

“I knew it,” Clint said somewhere behind Tony, soft enough that he might’ve meant to keep it private. “He’s going to escape and leave us with the purple bastard. Just fucking knew it.”

And it did look like that was what Loki meant to do. From within the glow, they could see portals flickering in and out of existence, slowly at first but accelerating into a crazy pace they couldn’t keep up with. Next to the blurs in the fabric of the universe, Loki was holding his gauntleted hand against his chest, eyes squeezed shut and sweat trickling down his forehead. Tony didn’t think he’d pour that much effort into simply leaving the scene, something else had to be up.

Thanos managed to knock Carol into a pile of rubble, and while she extricated herself from it, he advanced towards Loki. Halfway across the distance, he stopped. He was looking at the portals, and the scowl on his face promised murder.

“You think this will stop me? You think you can escape your punishment for betraying me?” he bellowed at Loki, sounding more unhinged than Tony had ever heard him.

“Oh yes I do, actually. You see, it’s not just you I’m stopping. It’s all of you,” Loki replied. He was out of breath and visibly trembling, but a wide grin adorned his face.

“My army --” Thanos started.

“I don’t care about your army. I’m talking about you specifically, you hateful little roach.”

Loki froze the rapid flickering by his side. One portal enlarged until Tony and the others could see inside it. The view appeared to be the interior of a spacecraft. Thanos was sitting on what could only be described as a throne, looking smug while he gave orders to a green-skinned woman. The stones on Loki’s gauntlet gave a pulse of light, and the Thanos inside the portal crumbled into a pile of dust.

Tony finally understood what Loki was doing. It was mind-boggling and shouldn’t be possible, the physics behind such an action did not hold water on any realm, but somehow, he didn’t doubt the veracity of what he realised. Loki was killing Thanos. Every single Thanos in every single dimension. The destroyer of their universe was being wiped out of the entirety of the multiverse. There was some poetic justice in it, even if some of the Thanoses had to be relatively innocent. Tony decided not to ponder the morality of it. He’d focus solely on his own instance of reality, worrying about all the others would only cause his mortal mind to break.

“You can’t do this. The balance of the world doesn’t abide messing with so many possibilities,” Thanos said, but even to Tony, it sounded like the feeble efforts of a bully who knew he had been caught and would be punished.

“Be silent,” Loki hissed. “I’m saving you for last, so do tell if you can actually feel yourself being wiped from reality.”

He sounded cocky and collected, but Tony could see that Loki was about to collapse under the strain of what he was doing. He couldn’t believe the thought even entered his head, but he got the sudden urge to help him. Not that he knew how. Space stones and alternate realities and killing portals were so far beyond his area of expertise that the mere idea of him meddling was laughable. Almost as ridiculous as time travel.

“Thor? Is there anything we can do to help?”

“No. The stones must be controlled by a single entity.”

“That’s not true though!” Peter Quill interjected. “I joined hands with my friends and we used the purple stone together once, it was hard but we pulled through, all of us together.”

“Dumb luck,” Thor said. Tony wondered about that. Was Thor trying to stop them from interfering in fear that they’d ruin what was happening, or was he as completely lost as they all were.

“Some heroes we are, watching our former and possibly but not probably current enemy defeat the greater, definitely actively bad enemy. Are you sure there’s nothing --”

An explosion of light interrupted Tony. He shielded his eyes and took a step back. When he could see again, silence had fallen onto the battlefield. The invading army was gone, only ashes blew in the gentle breeze. And where Thanos had stood moments earlier -- a pile of charred dust.

“Brother! You did it!” Thor said with a huge smile, turning towards Loki. Tony started to follow his lead but stopped abruptly. The portals were still blinking in and out of existence, now filling the air a considerable distance from Loki. There must’ve been hundreds if not thousands of them. And still, mathematically, he would never reach the end. The point of infinite possibilities was, indeed, to be without a terminus.

“Thor, buddy, I think you need to stop him. Like, the sooner the better,” he said. Steve came to stand by his side now that there was nothing left to fight. Tony saw him tighten the straps on his shield and he got a sense of foreboding. If there was one self-sacrificing fool who would do anything for others, even for someone like Loki, it was Rogers. Tony could almost smell the intention of doing something idiotic emanating off him.

“Now!” he snapped at Thor before anyone else could interfere with the powers they had no hope of understanding. The god of thunder approached his brother, slowly at first, but when he saw that Loki was staring into space with unfocused eyes, he increased his pace. Tony put his hand on Steve’s shoulder and waited. Thor’s solution was, quite unsurprisingly, to hit the gauntlet with his hammer. Equally expectedly, it had no effect. Loki continued to stand at the centre of the portals, seeming to have no control over their rapid flickering anymore. The stones glowed steadily, showing no signs of running out of steam anytime soon.

“Where’s Banner?” Tony asked, looking around. There were so many people everywhere it was difficult to make out individuals, but he should’ve spotted the large green man with ease had he been in sight.

“He’s hanging back. Was hurt,” Barton said. He had an arrow nocked and aimed at Loki. Tony had no doubt it wouldn’t strike true if he let it fly.

“Right. Just, hang on,” he said, waving an arm at Clint. He scanned the area for Captain Marvel, but Carol was nowhere to be seen. Probably off doing something important, Tony dare not question her choices or priorities.

“Where’s Doctor Strange?”

“Right here,” the tall man said as he stepped up.

“You have experience with these stones. How do we stop this?” Tony gestured at the portals that fully filled the sky now. Judging by the quick glimpses they could catch of what was going on inside them, the other Thanoses were exploding in puffs of dust all over the multiverse, along with his army whenever he had one.

“ _Should_ we stop it?” Clint asked, eyes still fixed on Loki, his arrow not wavering. “Best case scenario: the world is rid of Thanos, the stones fully deplete, and Loki dies.”

“Worst case scenario: the entire multiverse implodes,” Strange said. Tony turned to look at him, trying to gauge if he was utilising hyperbole in making his point. He could read nothing on the man’s neutral expression.

“We’ve already saved our own timeline and a couple of extras, I’d say that’s good enough for a day’s job,” Tony said.

“More like a couple of millions extra. We’re starting to tread on thin ice,” Stephen said. Tony did not appreciate his ominous tone.

“Okay, so how do we stop this?”

“I have an idea,” Stephen said. He stepped closer to Loki, doing something with his hands. Tony couldn’t follow the gestures, but he saw orange light glow around his fingertips. Nothing else happened for a while and Tony was about to mock Stephen for lack of anything more constructive to do, but then Loki jerked violently and focused his eyes on them.

“There you are,” Stephen said. “Care to take control again? I can’t dampen the effect much longer.”

Although there were no visible results, Tony could see that Stephen was doing something judging by the sweat dripping off his brow and the subtle shake in his limbs. The whole sorcerer business was best left to fairytales in his opinion, but he couldn’t deny its effectiveness. With great effort, Loki raised the gauntlet, and the portals started rapidly disappearing. Soon only a couple were flickering near him, showing the same event over and over. Another few hundred Thanoses lost their lives before Loki vanished the portals completely. He yanked the gauntlet off his hand and tossed it on the ground.

“That’s it?” Tony asked. He looked at the hunk of metal and the now dim gems. So much power, and it was just lying there where anyone could grab it. His hand reached for it as if of its own accord.

“Stop,” Loki said. He was out of breath, his hair a sweaty mess plastered to his forehead, but his eyes were bright and present again. “Too much for you. Leave it to --”

Tony didn’t get to hear who Loki considered more qualified. His eyes rolled up and he slumped to the ground with a barely audible sigh. Tony was about to go check his condition, but Thor knocked him out of his way in his haste to reach his brother. Stephen came to his side as well, picking up the gauntlet.

“We need to talk about these gems,” he said. Tony voiced his agreement. He had little desire to have anything to do with the infinity stones at the moment, but he couldn’t deny their significance, despite all the evil they had caused. And would probably continue to cause unless they did something permanent to them.

“We need to get rid of the stones. If power like this exists, there will always be a new Thanos, out to spread his destructive message of how things should be done. Someone will always know better than the rest of humanity. The rest of the multiverse, even.”

“Indeed. We will discuss it together with everyone who knows about them. But not here, not now. We have cleaning up to do,” Stephen said and turned on his heels, heading towards the main group behind them. Tony lingered, watching Thor pick up his brother’s limp form and plead at him to wake up. For a moment, Tony thought he might be dead, solving another problem they were facing, but they weren’t so lucky. Loki’s chest rose and fell rapidly, despite his insensate state. Thus the decision remained to be made: what to do with Loki.

Tony slipped his helmet on and took to the air. His first priority was to make sure Pepper was alright, then he’d assess the damage to his property, and then he’d take part in their council. After he had the biggest, juiciest cheeseburger he could get his hands on. Perhaps even two.


	2. Chapter 2

The flight to New Asgard was long and tedious. Tony admired the Norwegian coastline below him, but he was too hungry and tired to get overly excited about it. The vast ocean sparked no interest in him after staring at it for the duration of the trip to Oslo. He should’ve stopped for food in the capital city after hopping off his plane and continuing in the suit, but his eagerness for completing the mission had won.

“Damn my impatient nature,” he mumbled.

“Sir?” Friday asked.

“Nothing. Just regretting not acquainting myself intimately with the local cuisine. What do Norwegians eat anyway?”

“Do you wish for a list of the most popular dishes in Norway?”

“Let’s skip that. What’s my ETA to New Asgard?”

“1.3 minutes at current speed and heading.”

“Oh, that’s not too bad. Didn’t I say it’s just around the corner from Oslo.”

“The distance from Oslo to--”

“Yeah yeah yeah, shush for now.”

Tony flew over a mountain that looked unconquered by human hands at first glance. As he lowered his altitude, he saw a small village at its foot, nestled between the mountain and the ocean. Considering that the town housed all the surviving Asgardians, its size was alarmingly limited. A dozen or two squat shacks lined the shore, and there was a large hall under construction nearby. The tallest building was a church or a temple, judging by the spire that rose in its middle. Despite the remote location and the low population, New Asgard was oozing hope and spirit, and the eagerness to settle and grow. Tony had met the leader only once, but she seemed to be the heart and soul of the place, the tenacious example that pulled the people along. No wonder Thor had given her the reins and stepped aside to mind his own business for a change.

While looking for a place to land, Tony passed a group of three pregnant women. They must’ve been quite far along since he could clearly see the protruding bellies even through the multiple layers of clothing they wore. Evidently some were taking their mission to repopulate very seriously.

“Ladies,” he said as he thumped to the ground in front of them. Two gasped in surprise, but one of them looked at him with steady eyes. Tony addressed only her from there on.

“I’m looking for Thor, would you be able to point me towards his hut?”

“He’s not here anymore,” she said. Tony waited for an explanation, but none came forth.

“Okay, how about your current leader then? She must hold court here somewhere.”

“She’ll be at the construction site. Or at the piers. Or the council hall. Somewhere around here.”

“Thank you, you’ve been most helpful,” Tony said and lifted off, not putting much effort into keeping the sarcasm off his voice. He decided to check the harbour first, in the hope of finding some food there. Just one fried fish would’ve satisfied him for the moment, to tide him over until he could find some proper sustenance.

“What brings you here?” Valkyrie’s voice startled Tony. He landed on the wooden part of the pier, feeling the old timber dip under his weight, and dismissed his helmet.

“Maybe I’ve taken a sudden fancy to cod,” he said. She laughed.

“It’s not a bad fish. But you’re not here to taste one of its many forms. So what’s up, the world need saving again?”

“Not quite. Or maybe. I have to talk to Thor and his brother. Where are they?”

“Not here,” she said and turned around to hoist a wooden box of fish from a boat to a trailer. He saw her muscles work through the patterned sweater she wore. Also, if he wasn’t completely mistaken, there were several weapons hidden beneath the soft wool.

“That much I’ve already gathered. Care to enlighten me as to their whereabouts?”

“As if you don’t monitor them constantly. All I know is that they’re not here.”

“We actually don’t. The old SHIELD would’ve, but we’re still rebuilding things. Something you might sympathise with,” Tony said and indicated the unfinished hall behind them. Valkyrie snorted.

“As King, it’s my duty to protect my people. You bring nothing but trouble.”

“Oh, but I did bring a gift too,” Tony said and dug out a small blue cube. It was much dimmer than the Tesseract, but not entirely unlike it. “Power to the people.”

Valkyrie hesitated, but eventually took the offered item. Tony waited for her reaction, but she only stuffed it inside her jumper and turned back to stacking boxes.

“You know, I came here to ask nicely. I even gave you a bribe. Are you really going to put me in a position where I have to take what I need by force?”

“Maybe if you told me _why_ you need to find Thor, I might remember where he is.”

Tony sighed. These people better throw a banquet in his honour for enduring all this bother. But if he was being honest with himself, he rather admired Valkyrie’s attitude and protective nature. No one would hurt her subjects as long as she was standing.

“Space worms. All this fuss is for actual worms from outer space. I kid you not.”

“You don’t mean the Makkarat, do you?”

“Do I? I have no idea. All the communication we have managed to achieve with them has led to a single demand: they’ll only talk to Asgardian royalty. And considering that Earth would very much prefer to utilise diplomacy first whenever possible, here I am, acquiring said Asgardian royalty.”

“You don’t need Thor for that, I’m royalty now.”

“That was our first thought exactly, but they demand the old bloodline. And since the craft they’re driving is giving our weapons and space experts the heebie-jeebies, we don’t want to experience in practise how much punch they pack.”

Valkyrie took a moment to mull the situation over. Tony passed the time by looking at the surrounding mountains and forests. Despite the cities he had seen earlier, there was something primordial about Norway. Even the sea seemed wilder here, darker and more raw than the Pacific. He reckoned it was all in his head, emotions brought on by being so far from home that he transferred them to the nature around him. Yet the people in the village, Asgardians from somewhere lightyears away, didn’t seem out of place at all. Perhaps their interactions with the humans in this region so long ago had left --

“Come with me,” Valkyrie said. She dropped the box she had been holding and turned towards the village proper. Tony followed, stomping awkwardly in his suit. He had considered putting it away, but the internal heating was nice when he was constantly being buffeted by the coastal winds.

“The Earth appreciates your co-operation,” Tony said as they walked along the dirt path. The people they passed gave them long looks, but they said nothing. Tony could almost taste their disapproval of him. Or perhaps it was curiosity, or fear, even. Although the Asgardians were basically gods when compared to humans, they were still visitors on the planet, and humans outnumbered them by quite a huge margin.

“Your people don’t seem to like me much,” Tony noted as they passed a pair of kids who made faces at him.

“You and your companions have been bad news here. Look what happened to Thor.”

“That’s on Thanos, not us.”

“The way they see it, you called him to defend you, and he came back broken. Logic does little when you see your heroes fall.”

Tony kept his mouth shut after that. Valkyrie directed them towards a shed on the outskirts of town. He expected a pair of mules to emerge, but what she pushed out was an enormous motorcycle with all the chrome parts shining.

“Sweet ride,” he said, with open admiration.

“We can’t all have engines on our backs. Follow me.” She hopped on the bike and started driving on the narrow path, at what Tony considered the perfect example of breakneck speed. He engaged his helmet and took to the air, following Valkyrie with no trouble. They went up a mountain, down the other side, through a forest or two, by the shore, and finally, she pulled up in front of a small hut on a barren rock right at the edge of the ocean. Before she had finished parking, the door of the hut opened and out strode Thor. His hair and beard were long and tangled, and his clothes had definitely seen better days. But despite his tired appearance, he was smiling and there was a certain spring in his step that Tony hadn’t seen in a long while.

“Valkyrie! What brings you here ahead of schedule? Is everything alright in the village?” he asked.

“All is good. I’m just working as a guide for him,” she said and pointed at Tony.

“Hi,” Tony said and dismissed his suit. Thor turned to him and poked his hand out. Tony responded to the gesture, expecting a handshake, but Thor pulled him into a bearhug instead. Encircled by the strong arms, Tony fervently wished he had kept his suit on.

“Good to see you again, man of metal!”

Tony had not envisioned such a warm welcome. His first thought was that Thor was drunk, but he couldn’t smell any liquor on him. Had the relief of undoing their greatest mistake healed his soul quicker than he’d thought possible? Or was the effect of being away from his responsibilities this revitalising? If so, he might try it himself one day.

“What brings you here?”

“Can we talk somewhere?” Tony asked. Valkyrie rolled her eyes at them.

“Because the mountains might be listening! I’m off, I trust you can find your way back to the village or Oslo or all the way to America. See ya!” She hopped on her bike and sped away, sending tiny pebbles rolling on the path. As the dust settled, Tony turned towards Thor and waited.

“Come in, but keep your voice down. Loki is sleeping.”

Ah yes, the troublesome brother. Tony knew very little of what had happened to Loki. After the sorcerers had declared him burned out on magic and unable to cast, Thor had been allowed to take him to New Asgard to recuperate, on the threat of eternal banishment if he didn’t report immediately at the first signs of Loki’s magic returning. Tony wasn’t sure if they could trust Thor on it, but Doctor Strange and his buddies were keeping tabs on the situation somehow. He didn’t want to know the details, being as he didn’t have a scientific tool to measure magic with and thus would’ve happily denied its existence had he not witnessed it with his own eyes. But he had seen the readings and the ball of light with which they followed the Asgardians and their magic expenditure. They made it look very neat and systematic, but Tony didn’t quite believe it.

Thor led the way inside. The hut was just as basic and worn on the inside as it was on the outside. There was a single room that was divided into a simple kitchen and a living room area, with two beds by the walls. At the back of the room there was a door which Tony hoped led to a lavatory. He hadn’t noticed an outhouse in the vicinity, but he could’ve just as easily missed it. Before his juvenile mind could latch onto the idea of an Asgardian outhouse, Thor beckoned for him to sit by the fireplace. Tony took a seat and stole a glance at Loki. He appeared to be fast asleep on the bed furthest from the door, but Tony would speak as if Thor’s ears weren’t the only ones receiving his message just in case.

“Cozy,” he said. Thor handed him a beer from the fridge and sat down on the other armchair. They were surprisingly comfortable, at odds with the otherwise spartan decor.

“Serves its purpose,” Thor said.

“And what is that purpose?” Tony asked.

“A place to recover. To plan our next move.”

“What have you decided?”

“Nothing yet. Loki’s not strong enough to travel.”

“So you’re not planning on staying indefinitely?” Tony asked and took a swig of his beer. He didn’t recognise the brand, or half of the letters on the bottle, but it tasted alright.

“Are you saying my brother would be welcome to stay?”

Tony only grimaced in response. Loki’s role in defeating Thanos was no secret, but people would never forgive him for New York. As Thor well knew.

“We can discuss your future plans later, for now we have a fresh new situation in our hands.”

Tony explained about the space worms and their request to talk to Thor, and the Earth’s desire to try diplomacy first. They were still picking up the pieces from the last alien invasion, none of them were ready to face a new threat yet. If they could get rid of the worms -- or better yet, somehow benefit from them -- without any bloodshed, Tony would do everything in his power to facilitate it. Thor didn’t need much convincing, until his choice of travelling companion came to question.

“No. Bringing your brother would only cause trouble. We can’t afford it now.”

“I am not leaving him here when he is helpless. Either he comes with me, or I do not come at all.”

“Thor, listen. If all goes well with the worms, you’ll be back here within a few days. And if things don’t go smoothly, well, then Loki will be safer here.”

Thor shook his head and drank from his bottle. Tony’s was empty already. The fire in front of them crackled, creating a warm atmosphere despite their disagreement.

“My protection keeps him safe. Without his magic, anyone could come here and --”

Thor’s words were interrupted by a knife flying between them and hitting the wooden wall mere inches above Tony’s head.

“I’m not a helpless babe. Give me some credit.” Loki’s voice was soft and a little bit hoarse. Tony turned around and saw him get up from the bed and walk to them, slowly and not quite steadily. He sat down on the armrest of Thor’s chair. Tony reckoned he could’ve knocked him off with no resistance.

“Loki,” he said and inclined his head. As big of a grudge as he held against the man, he pushed those emotions aside. Antagonising Loki now would get him absolutely nowhere with Thor. “You look… alive.”

Loki snorted at that. Despite his loose-fitting light green pyjamas, Tony could tell how thin he was, and the dark smudges under his eyes weren’t exactly indicative of good health. His hair hung around his face, half obstructing the gauntness of his cheeks, but Tony saw enough. Were someone to come seek Loki out with vengeance in mind, he wouldn’t offer much of an opponent.

“You should go,” Loki said to Thor.

“I’m not leaving you here alone.”

“I won’t be alone, Stark will stay with me,” Loki said.

“I didn’t hear Stark offer any such thing,” Tony said. He turned to Thor, waiting for him to laugh the suggestion off.

“Alright. If Tony stays here, I’ll go to America, and return immediately when the threat is dealt with.”

“Hey hey, I didn’t agree to stay. I have matters to attend to there too.”

“As you said, it shouldn’t take long. And face it, this is the only way he’ll go,” Loki said. Tony wanted to wipe the smirk off his face, but he was more concerned with what his game was. He seriously doubted Loki had come down with an acute case of altruism.

“Fine. I’ll stay in New Asgard until Thor returns, is that good enough?”

“I have no desire to go there, and you wouldn’t be much of a guardian if you were all the way in that shoddy town should something happen here.”

Tony could see he had already lost the bargain. He again reminded himself that the needs of the many overrode his own distaste. He could babysit Loki for a couple of days if it meant that their planet would be safe. Heck, it might even be relaxing, fishing on those rocks outside while Loki snoozed inside, minimal interaction and no real threats to be expected in such a remote location. He would consider it a little vacation from his hectic life.

“You sure you don’t have your mind control powers back yet?” he asked and lifted his gaze towards the brothers. It was quick, but he caught Loki leaning on Thor’s shoulder before he righted himself. The cocky attitude was there, but Tony could see the toll a simple conversation had taken on him. If an Asgardian was this badly affected by the use of the stones, it definitely would’ve killed a human. Tony tried not to think about how close he had come to using them himself.

“I’ll just let my people know about our plans,” he said and stood up. He would call Fury and Pepper and Morgan and then finally get something to eat. Thor would probably leave right away, so he should arrange for something to be delivered. Except they were hiding and thus no one should learn of the hut’s location. Damn it. He hoped the brothers had something more substantial than beer tucked away in their pantry.

*****

Sunset in the north was spectacular during the late summer. Tony was sitting on a smooth rock that was still warm, waves lapping against it just below his dangling feet, and he had a bottle of beer in his hand. More of the local stuff, it was really starting to grow on him. The hour was getting late but the sun in front of him hadn’t quite touched the horizon yet. All he could see around its blaze was the ocean. The endless movement was soothing, but his mind was starting to get restless. He needed stimuli, something to keep the cogs turning in directions he could control. Enjoying nature in silent solitude only worked for him in brief periods. It was unfortunate that his only option for companionship was Loki, and he wasn’t eager to spend any time with him. Tony knew that Loki had helped them defeat Thanos, and Thor had told them a little bit about how he’d helped them save the Asgardians, but both of those deeds had been in Loki’s best interest as well, and all the other good things he had done in the past were in his future now. Except that future would never come for him since this timeline’s Loki had skipped a few years of his life. Tony found it hard to feel bad for him.

The sun started its final descent towards the horizon. It moved quickly enough that Tony could follow the event. His eyes watered in the brightness, but he looked anyway. Minutes later, all that was left of the blaze were some pink and orange clouds. Humanity would live to see another day. Tony’s loved ones -- there were so many these days -- would witness another sunrise. The Earth kept turning, their societies kept rebuilding, all was fine. Yet there was an emptiness in Tony, as if he had somehow missed a grand moment he had been preparing for.

Tony drained the last of his beer and got up. It was the time of night when he preferred to not be alone, yet when he usually was. With any luck, Loki would be asleep and Tony could just watch some TV if they had one, or read a book if they had any of those, or distract himself with any other mode of entertainment he could find. As he stepped in, he saw that Loki was awake, though doing nothing but staring at the ceiling on his bed.

“Why did you want him to go?” Tony asked. A bit blunt, even for him, but he wasn’t interested in small talk and the question had been bothering him.

“Wanted some peace and quiet,” Loki said, not turning his gaze from the wooden boards.

“In that case, you wouldn’t have insisted on me staying. Try again.”

“I don’t owe you any explanations.”

“Oh but I think you do. One giant explanation for trashing the city I called home at the time, but that can wait. Why did you get rid of Thor?”

Loki looked at Tony. Their eyes met, and for a moment Tony was worried that his mind was being read, but as far as he knew, that wasn’t one of Loki’s talents. Of course, their information in that regard was woefully limited.

“He hovers,” was all Loki offered in reply. Tony took it, accepting that it was the best he was going to get.

“He can be a bit overbearing at times,” he said.

“More like all the time. Except when he’s brooding. Can you blame me for wanting a break?”

Tony could blame him for many things, but taking a breather from Thor wasn’t one of those. He said as much, and was surprised to see Loki smile in response.

“Also, I’m not an idiot. Refusing to help the planet we’re currently on would be a bad move. Our people depend on your hospitality.”

“Do you overestimate our ability to fight you if you decided to take our lands by force, or are you underestimating your people’s strength?” Tony asked. The Asgardians weren’t great in numbers, but if they all came equipped with the same level of raw power and magical abilities as Thor and Loki, there would be little Earth could do against them.

“Did you hear something?”

“Smooth. I’m almost disappointed you’d think such an obvious attempt to change the --”

Tony was silenced by Loki shushing him. Before he could get offended, Tony noticed the change in Loki’s body language. He was no longer casually lounging but stiffly raised up on his elbows, eyes directed at the door. Tony followed his gaze, but of course he couldn’t see anything through the sturdy wood.

“What is it?” he asked, keeping his voice down.

“Something metallic.”

Tony’s further questions were cut off by the frighteningly familiar whistle of an approaching missile. His suit was on before he could make the conscious decision to equip it. The blast hit the side of the house furthest from them, tearing a sizable hole where the kitchen should’ve been. Falling debris made Tony act on pure instinct. He turned around, scooped Loki up in his blanket, tossed him over his shoulder, and made a hasty exit through the front door.

Once outside, he scanned the surrounding area to find where the attack was coming from. Friday directed his gaze to the path leading up to the hut from the forest. A small black tank roughly the size and shape of a one-person caravan was slowly making its way towards them, its metal tracks loud against the soft dirt. Tony saw the nozzle of the cannon on top rearrange itself while it turned towards them. He flew further away, giving himself room to manoeuvre. Even with Loki’s added weight, he reckoned he could dodge the projectile. But what flew out of the cannon wasn’t the same type of missile as before, but a stream of bluish white energy. Tony managed to avoid most of it, but his right leg was hit. He felt no pain, but his propulsor immediately stopped working and crumbled away. Friday was reporting the damage, confirming what Tony had already guessed: some sort of modified EMP that killed his nano technology.

“Screw this,” Tony said and shot at the tank. Instead of the explosion he expected, the tank absorbed the impact, glowing blue for a moment before reverting back to black. The cannon readjusted its position and thrummed. Tony took that as his clue to put some serious distance between them. It was difficult with only half the thrust he usually had, and with a passenger, but he managed to gain some altitude and head towards New Asgard. He heard Loki yell at him to dodge a split-second before another blast of energy hit his right side. Friday went quiet, and Tony realised he had lost the use of his suit’s right arm. With all the power gone from that side, he couldn’t keep them stable. He gave his remaining propulsor a mighty blast that sent them spiralling violently, but hopefully it would fling them far enough to give a sufficient head start before the tank could catch up to them.

Their landing was probably the least graceful Tony had ever made, but he did manage to untangle himself from Loki so that they hit the ground separately. The rocky landscape didn’t offer much in the way of foliage to break their fall. Tony felt the jarring impact through the remains of his suit’s dampening effects a bit too acutely, and needed a moment before he could climb to his feet. He couldn’t hear the tank, but he was certain it would be coming after them.

“Loki? You alive?”

“No,” Loki said. Tony limped to where he was lying, still rolled up inside his blanket.

“Get up, we gotta move,” he said and tried to dismiss his broken suit, only to discover that it was falling apart. The particles were dying one by one, spreading the decay to the entire suit. Tony tried to salvage his helmet, but it was too late. He shook the tiny metal bits off his hair and pulled off his left-hand repulsor. The glove around it fell off in pieces, but the weapon remained intact. He attached it back to his hand, feeling vulnerable and exposed. Without a connection from his hand to the arc reactor on his chest, he’d only have residual power in the weapon. Good for maybe one or two big shots. Just perfect.

“I hope you know the way,” he said to Loki. The faster they got back to civilisation the faster he could get to his back-up suit.

“Just follow the shore. Depending on how far along you got us, we should have just under six or seven kilometres to walk.”

“Can you manage that?”

“Can you?”

Tony hoped so. He was uninjured, but he felt like he’d been hit by a truck or pummeled by the Hulk. Everything hurt, but as he started walking, he noticed that his muscles were loosening up. As long as the tank didn’t catch up to them, they could make it.


	3. Chapter 3

Tony’s optimism suffered a blow after they had walked for just about a kilometre by his estimation. One moment they were trudging along in silence, the next he heard a thud behind him and the cessation of the sound of second footsteps that had been disrupting the night.

“Please tell me you just tripped and fell,” he said. No answer. Tony turned around and froze. Loki had been lagging a lot further behind than he’d realised. Had the tank caught up to them, it would’ve hit Loki before Tony could even register the danger.

“Some protector you are,” he muttered to himself as he backtracked. When he reached Loki and knelt down by him, he heard the distant screech of the metal tracks the tank was on. He couldn’t tell how far it was, but it was definitely coming towards them.

“Thor, if you realised you left the stove on and decided to return, now would be the perfect time.”

“As if… he could cook,” Loki said. His voice was barely audible, coming out in faint pants. Sweat was gleaming on his face and his cheeks had taken on a bluish tint.

“You’re not gonna die on me, are you?” Tony asked.

“Not give… satisfaction.”

“Yeah, stop talking and start walking.” Tony pulled Loki to his feet, taking care to keep the blanket wrapped around his shoulders. The night wasn’t dangerously cold, but the energy used for heat generation would sap his strength. Tony draped Loki on his shoulders not unlike his duvet cloak and started dragging the taller man along with him. Their already slow pace deteriorated to a crawl. Tony heard the tank still approaching, unchallenged by the easy terrain. The shore was bare rock, beaten smooth by the waves. A lush forest would’ve been a huge advantage for them, but Tony feared he would’ve lost their heading if he couldn’t follow the coast.

Their potential salvation came in the shape of a narrow ledge. The gently sloping shore seemed to completely disappear into a rock wall that rose vertically where the land met the sea. Before Tony could entertain notions of swimming around it, he noticed that a narrow ledge protruded off the cliff, allowing one person to walk on it and go around the obstacle. He couldn’t see how far the wall continued away from the shore, but he hoped it was enough to seriously slow down the tank, perhaps even get it off their trail completely if they were lucky.

“Loki. Hey, focus!” Tony gave Loki a shake. He blinked his eyes and slowly trained them on Tony. “There’s a very narrow path in front of us, the only way we can go, but I can’t carry you on it. You gotta walk it yourself. Okay?”

Loki nodded. Tony wasn’t convinced he had registered anything he’d said, but they were fresh out of options. He made Loki go first, on the tentative logic that if he fell off, Tony might be able to see it in time and catch him. As they stepped onto the ledge, he heard the tank very clearly. He took a quick look behind and turned immediately back around. The black machine had just crested a hill they had come down moments earlier. If they didn’t make it around the cliff right this very instant, the tank would have a clear shot at them while they were defenseless.

“Move!”

The urgency in Tony’s voice must’ve reached Loki. He tensed his muscles and held onto the stony side of the cliff while he slowly walked forwards. Tony tried not to look back. He could hear the tank coming closer, he didn’t need the visual. They were probably seconds from getting a taste of its cannons again, but there was nothing he could do. Shooting at it with his own weapon had proved useless earlier, repeating the action would serve no purpose.

“Dodge,” Loki said, almost casually. Tony dropped onto the ledge immediately. If a potentially psychic super powered alien wizard told him to move, he’d ask questions later when it was safe. He didn’t trust Loki, but in their current position, he was dependant on Tony’s continued survival. Tony knew Loki was too much of an egomaniac to risk his own life by endangering Tony’s. At least, he was gambling his own well-being on that.

The blast nearly knocked them off. Tony clung to the ground, but he could feel the shockwave pushing him towards the edge of the already too narrow ledge. His right foot fell off, threatening to pull his entire body with it. He tried to roll over towards the cliff wall, but the uneven rocks stopped him. Half-dangling, he took a quick look at Loki. He was doing better, firmly flattened against the stones and covering his head with his hands. Tony hesitated for exactly half a second before he opened his mouth.

“Help… a little help is needed.”

Loki lifted himself on his arms and turned to look at Tony. A falling rock must’ve hit his forehead, for there was a fresh gash spreading blood all over his face. Tony was sure he’d be too addled by concussion to act, but Loki leaned over and pulled Tony back onto the ledge. Weakened as he was, he was still frighteningly strong. Either adrenaline was one hell of a drug, or all Asgardians were as insanely powerful as Thor. Tony wasn’t entirely comfortable with that notion.

“It’ll shoot again,” Loki said. He was looking at the tank and squinting his eyes. First Tony thought the sun was blinding him, but then he remembered that it had gone down already. Pain then, perhaps.

“Ah, I cannot,” Loki muttered. Tony could barely see his face under all the blood still trickling down it, but he appeared to be more frustrated than agonised.

“Hope you don’t mean you can’t walk cos we gotta move, and fast,” Tony said. Loki silently turned around and climbed to his feet. Somehow the near-miss seemed to have given him a boost of strength. He skittered around the corner of the cliff and hopped off the ledge to firm land. Tony was slower to follow, feeling clumsy with his stubby human legs. He didn’t so much hop off the ledge as much as he oozed off it. Had Loki somehow sucked energy from him?

“It can’t reach us now, we could rest for a moment,” he suggested.

“No,” Loki said. He took off and Tony followed. They walked for a couple of hundred metres with little trouble, but after a few more steps Loki started faltering. As if his battery had run out, he weaved sideways, barely staying upright. Tony caught up to him and slipped his arm over his shoulder again. The added weight made his knees twinge in pain. Thor would owe him the biggest damn cheeseburger physically capable of being consumed.

“How do you still have that blanket?” Tony asked, amused despite their situation. The light yellow duvet clung to Loki’s shoulders like Dr Strange’s cloak, although less intelligent and infinitely more fluffy.

“Clearly, it brings me good luck.”

“Ah yes, being chased by the caravan of death is fortunate indeed.” They could no longer hear the metal tracks, but Tony was certain the tank would find them again. “You know, there’s one flaw in our plan that’s becoming clear to me.”

“What’s that?”

“We’re heading towards New Asgard in hopes of finding sanctuary there… but it’s a fishing village. Populated by Asgardians, sure, but still a simple village. Aren’t we bringing danger to their doorstep, where they have nothing to fight it with?”

“Did you see the structures they were building?”

“Like the fancy temple?”

“They may or may not house some Asgard technology inside. Your Earth weapons failed, perhaps theirs can do some damage to it.”

“You’re risking an awful lot on a guess. Except I’m guessing you’re not guessing at all. What did you people bring here with you?”

Loki didn’t answer. Potentially due to the ground disappearing from under them.

“Shiiiiiii--” Tony yelled all the way down. He was interrupted not by smashing into rocks but by splashing into cold water. Some debris rained down on him, and he allowed himself to sink lower. When he estimated that it was safe to emerge, he started swimming upwards, lungs burning. The glove he had on was weighing him down, but not significantly. He broke the surface and gasped for air. He expected to see the tank, but there were no signs of it. Apparently, the cliff had simply collapsed under them.

“Curse you and your lucky blanket,” he said as he swam towards the shore. As he approached it, he realised that the smooth rocks rising out of the ocean were very steep. Possibly too high to climb. Shit.

“Loki? Think we gotta swim further. Unless you can levitate us up which would of course be preferable. But right, you can’t use magic.” Tony looked around and realised he was talking to himself. His first instinct was to dive after Loki, but a thought made him hesitate. This was the person responsible for the destruction of New York. If Tony failed to save him now, no one would know the circumstances. He could claim it an accident, walk away unblemished and bring some small measure of justice to the world.

He immediately squashed the idea. His eyes may have seen Loki lead the battle, but his mind knew that Thanos had been the driving force. There was still a lot he didn’t know about the events, and being an executioner in uncertain cases was not in his nature. Damn his soft human heart, but he couldn’t allow someone to die if it was within his power to save them. He looked around, saw a dark shape under the surface, and pulled it up. Loki’s head appeared, accompanied by much coughing and panting.

“I thought you had become fish food,” Tony said. He found a single small protrusion in the otherwise smooth rock wall and clung to it while he held Loki afloat to reserve his energy. Without the suit’s internal heating, he could feel the temperature of the ocean a bit too acutely.

“No. But an alternate course of action did come to my mind at the bottom of the ocean. Say we put the tank there?”

“Clunky metal object, very unlikely to float. I like that. Only problem is getting it there.”

“Just tip it over the edge, simple. You humans can be so limited in your thinking.”

Tony was about to take offence, but then a greater insult hit him in the shape of a high wave. He spluttered and remembered that they still needed to get out of the water first before even thinking about their next move. He looked for convenient handholds or a less steep part, but as far ahead as he could see, the vertical cliff wall continued.

“Think we gotta swim,” he said. The cold was already seeping into his bones. If they did nothing, he’d die of hypothermia long before he could drown. Or the other way around. He’d never been a particularly strong swimmer.

“Again with the limitations,” Loki said, but without any levity in his voice this time. He seemed to be faring even worse in the cold, his skin was already taking on a bluish tint. Except, as Tony watched, he turned a deeper blue, all over his body. Tony was convinced he had hit his head and was hallucinating, since he could swear he saw Loki’s features change too, into something utterly outlandish. And the blue creature climbed on top of a sheet of ice that had not been there before.

“Come on, I have not the strength to hold it long.” The blue creature had Loki’s voice, and his distinct lack of patience. It offered an arm to Tony, and too stunned to resist, he took it.

“Is this a trick?” Tony asked. He looked at the ice beneath his feet. It was so thin it shouldn’t be able to bear their weight without cracking, but there it was. Blue Loki started walking, and Tony followed.

“Congratulations, you’ve been offered the rare treat of seeing my _true form_.” Loki’s words were dripping venom. Tony could almost see the cloud of hatred around him, but he also sensed a touch of hurt. “Speak of this to no one.”

“Sure, no, yeah, whatever works, can be our little secret. Just, uhh, does Thor know?”

The glare Tony received in response froze the blood in his veins. Not literally, he was actually starting to warm up now that he was out of the water, though the wind blowing through his wet clothes would soon be a problem. Walking helped, even if he was walking on magical ice that appeared and disappeared beneath their feet as they advanced. They made good pace, and Tony could see the cliff wall on the shore start to decrease in height. As they went around a large stone outcrop following the shoreline, he was delighted to see an actual little rocky beach not far ahead. He was about to point it out to Loki, but just then they plummeted into the sea again.

Tony swam to the surface, gasping from the shock of cold. He couldn’t see Loki. Instead of waiting for him to appear, some intuition told him to go look for him immediately. Tony dove, and saw Loki floating just beneath the surface, completely still. He grabbed him and brought them both up. A couple of strokes made him reach the shore, where he dragged Loki’s limp form onto the gravel beach.

“I’d kiss the ground, but eww,” Tony said. He looked at Loki, but there was no movement. Cautiously, Tony approached him and wiped the mass of wet hair from his face. He looked normal again. That was just about the only positive aspect of their situation. They were wet, lost as far as Tony was concerned, and most likely still being chased by the tank. And Loki was unconscious.

“Just great,” Tony muttered. He looked around, trying to see something useful. There were more rocks, trees in the distance, lots of underbrush between, and mountains on the horizon. The nature around them was stunningly beautiful, but he couldn’t really take it in. His mind was too busy calculating the possibilities of where the next, potentially lethal, shot would come from. The trees were the most likely direction, offering cover so that they wouldn’t see the tank’s approach in time. Luckily the treeline was far enough that he hoped the tank couldn’t reach them, but he didn’t desire to test the theory in practice. Ahead of them, following the shore was nothing but rocks. The cliff rose higher again, offering them a nice uphill trek. Or -- more precisely -- offering _him_ the climb. Unless he could rouse Loki, it would be up to him to get them to safety.

“Why must you be so bloody tall?” he asked the unconscious form. Loki was thin, even more so now than what Tony remembered from New York, but his height alone gave him heft. Tony wasn’t at all sure he could carry him all the way to New Asgard. Or even up the first hill in their path.

“Choices, choices, what are my choices… leave you? No. Thor would never forgive me if a wild bear came and ate you. Are there bears in Norway? Irrelevant, cos I’m not leaving you. Have to admit, it’s kinda tempting…”

He looked at Loki. His face was slack but there were lines on his forehead and in the corners of his eyes. Tony had no idea how old he and Thor were, relatively or in specific years. But the soft flannel pyjamas Loki wore made him seem young and helpless. They’d lost the lucky blanket in the sea.

“You know, bad guys rarely have safety blankies with them. Of course, I haven’t forgotten what you did to Thanos. Kinda helped us save the day in a major way there, demoting you from bad guy status. Did I ever thank you for it? Did anyone?”

A seagull flew past them and gave a loud screech. Tony jumped, on edge with his concentration wavering. That could’ve been the tank, ready to blow them to smithereens.

“One crucial question, which one of us is it after?”

Tony had no reply to his own ponderings. Loki, however, did.

“Not Asgardian technology. Must be yours.”

“Well good morning. Ready to go climb a moderate size mountain? Or can you make ice elevators too? How _did_ you make the ice on the sea anyway? I thought you couldn’t use magic anymore.”

Loki was silent for a long moment. Tony didn’t expect him to answer, and was preparing to get up.

“It’s starting to return. The easy stuff first, what comes naturally.”

“What’s your deal with ice anyway? Why were you blue?”

“Has Thor truly not told you? Hah, I’m almost impressed. But then again, why would he reveal the shame of the family,” Loki said. Tony could see the old wounds brimming close to the surface, but he couldn’t understand their significance.

“I’m an ice giant.”

The words were left hanging in the air. Tony’s first instinct was to make a joke, but he refrained. He was not talking to a friend. Not even an ally, but a former enemy. And still, he wanted to offer comfort since he could sense the distress so clearly, even if he didn’t understand it.

“You know, I was just cursing your tallness,” he ended up saying. “Though I must say I thought giants would be bigger.”

“They are,” was all Loki said. He hauled himself to his feet, swaying for a moment but steadying himself before Tony could offer him a hand. They headed towards the hill and started making their way up slowly. The sea below them was restless, as if waiting for them to slip and fall into its cold embrace.

*****

The night wore on. The dark blue sky started becoming lighter in front of them, but there were no signs of the sun appearing yet. They didn’t talk much, too focused on advancing in the difficult terrain. The smooth rocks had given way to irregular stones and clumps of grass and moss and sudden small puddles that appeared out of nowhere. Tony was exhausted and thoroughly fed up with the adventure. He wanted to go home where there was civilisation and cold drinks and hot food. Their plan of tipping the tank into the ocean had fizzled away since they couldn’t think of any way to push it in. They hadn’t even heard it in a while now, though they dared not believe it had given up on them.

“How about fire? Could you make fire?” Tony asked. He was freezing with the merciless ocean wind blasting them nonstop. Moving didn’t help as much as he reckoned it should. Although his clothes had somewhat dried, his shoes were still wet and very uncomfortable.

“No,” Loki said. He was walking first so Tony couldn’t see his face, but his slumped shoulders and slow steps spoke of how spent he was. They rightly shouldn’t have been able to keep up as long as they had, but desperation worked wonders.

“How about a canoe? That would speed us up nicely.”

“Shut up,” Loki said, very quietly.

“Even flippers for our feet would help. Though then we’d have to get wet again, but we must be getting close now, right? Maybe we did manage to shake the tank. Not that we have actively done anything to get rid of it. Guess we really are putting our faith in your Asgardian weapons. Still can’t believe you smuggled such things to Earth. After we so kindly --”

“For the love of all things shiny, can you shut up!” Loki snapped.

Tony stopped, realising he was babbling. Before he could offer a retort, an explosion shook the ground not far from them. He immediately looked to the forest on their left, for the first time noticing how close to the shore the trees were growing.

“Shit, we gotta move!” Tony started running. He went past Loki and halfway towards a large rock directly in their path before the lack of audible steps beside him made him turn around. Loki was moving too, but slowly. Tony cursed mentally as he ran back, all breath taken up by the exertion.

“Come on!” he said and motioned for Loki to hurry up. If the tank was just behind them, they had very little hope of outrunning it, but that was no reason not to try.

“Can’t,” Loki said, voice barely above a whisper. He sounded as wiped out as he looked. Tony was also too tired to run all night, but a small sprint would hopefully get them out of the danger zone, and the adrenaline from the near miss was practically buzzing in his veins.

“I can’t believe I’m about to even suggest this, but… get on.” He stopped in front of Loki, turned his back towards him, and bent his knees a bit. There was a twinge of pain, and an even greater one when Loki actually did as told and straddled Tony, but he could take it. Tony straightened himself up and started walking. Running was beyond him, but he could still advance faster than Loki had.

“Hold on,” he said and aimed for the stone in their path. It was poor cover, but apart from the forest, there were no other obstacles in sight. The tank could go around it and probably aim at them over it, but Tony had nothing else to cling to. He would go around the rock and they would be safe. For a moment at least.

“Beyond… that crest,” Loki whispered, disturbingly close to Tony’s ear. He looked up and saw a high peak on the rocky shore. He couldn’t see what lay ahead of it, but he suspected it was their destination. Coming in with the tank hot on their heels was far from ideal, and Tony felt a stab of guilt for bringing it to the villagers, but perhaps the Asgardians could help them. Superior warrior species and all.

When Tony got over the peak and saw further, he could’ve wept from relief. In a sheltered bay surrounded by tall hills, there lay the town of New Asgard. The sight of its cozy houses and meandering dirt paths filled him with the last bit of strength he needed. His muscles were all shaking with the effort, but he refused to give in. Loki had fallen silent. The limpness of his form suggested he wasn’t fully present, but at least he was still clinging to Tony. Adjusting his grip, Tony prepared for the final approach. Just down the hill and they’d be safe.

“Help!” Tony yelled at the top of his burning lungs. He was halfway down the hill. He hadn’t heard anything from the tank, which was either good, or very bad. The tank could be waiting to shoot them when it could cause the maximum amount of damage, or it had run out of ammo. Tony highly doubted it was the latter.

“Heeeelp!” he shouted when he could spare the breath for it. People were starting to come out of their dwellings and gather in the streets, looking at Tony but not doing anything. He kept running, Loki bouncing awkwardly against his back. When he had just a few steps left to go, a tall man who looked like a stereotypical viking came out to meet him. Tony half-expected the hill to explode around him, but silence reigned. Apart from his panting and the villagers’ chattering, that was.

“What’s going on?” the viking asked, peering over Tony’s head towards the top of the hill. Tony turned too, almost disappointed to see nothing there.

“Some trouble came looking for us. I think you’d better prepare for it.”

“It being?”

“A metal vehicle that can shoot missiles and are you people familiar with an EMP?”

Most faces looked blank, but a group of younger Asgardians turned more serious.

“Disrupts all Earth-based electrical devices. Your prince here said you have some Asgardian firepower stashed away?” Tony was in no mood to pretend that he didn’t know about their weapons. If the tank appeared and took a shot at them, they had to answer it with any means necessary. He thought he heard some people whisper to each other about Loki, and not in a friendly fashion.

“If we were to have such weapons, would you be inclined to report their existence to your command?” The stereotypical viking seemed to have taken leadership position. Tony wondered if Valkyrie was there or had she gone to the States with Thor.

“Listen, if you have something that might help, now is the time to go get them, worry about the consequences later. Cos I can promise there won’t _be_ a later if we don’t do something right now.”

That got the villagers moving. Tony stood amidst the bustle, still holding Loki, unsure what to do. If he were at all sensible, he’d relocate to the deepest basement and hide there until the tank went away or was destroyed, but when had he ever taken the most prudent route. He jogged to the harbour -- gods how his muscles protested -- and looked for somewhere to put Loki. There were some boats docked and he considered ordering everyone on them, but he could tell without Friday calculating it for him that their capacity was nowhere near enough to float everyone to safety. Perhaps the children and elderly only, then.

“Bring him here,” someone said behind Tony. He turned to see a man next to a wooden bench, gesturing at it. Tony was happy to shed his burden and he placed Loki down on it, as gently as he could manage. The man promised to look after him, shooing Tony away to do something useful. What that would be was a question Tony pondered all the way to the edge of town where most people had gathered. He saw a few of them hold shiny golden staves and something that looked like frilly machine guns. He wouldn’t have been surprised if they spewed out rainbows.

The first shot from the tank came without warning. It was the projectile kind, not the blue light, and it fell short of the people. Tony held his only remaining weapon up, even knowing that it would do no good. They could hear the noise of the tracks as the tank moved, but they couldn’t see it. Three more missiles fell, each shot coming closer and closer. The next one would surely hit.

“On my mark,” the stereotypical viking said. Tony saw the Asgardians preparing their weapons, and he could swear he felt a tingle of magic in the air. The nozzle of the tank’s cannon appeared first, followed by the dark vehicle. It was charging up the EMP weapon with an audible crackle. Tony fisted his free hand and held his gauntleted arm steady. Any second now.

“Shoot!” the viking yelled, looking a lot like Thor with his braided blonde beard and flowing hair. The others complied, blasting waves of energy out of weapons Tony would give his liver to examine. Almost all of the blasts hit the tank squarely, yet none of them seemed to do any damage. On the contrary, the black sides glowed softly before absorbing all the energy. If Tony knew anything about engineering, he’d place money on the energy being redirected straight to the cannon. And sure enough, the next projectile was bigger than the previous ones and it flew directly towards the temple that was under construction, destroying it completely. If that power hit the village proper or any of the people, there would be no one left to tell the tale.

“Again!” the viking yelled. The Asgardians shot with all their might, but Tony could see it would get them nowhere. They were only making the tank stronger.

“Stop! We have to escape,” he said, but was ignored. The group of women he had seen earlier were firing the frilly guns at the tank right next to him, not missing, but not damaging either.

“We have to run!” Tony shouted when the noise of weapons had quieted.

“There’s nowhere to go. We can’t outrun it,” someone said.

“It’s rather slow, but I see your point. With this many people, we can’t move everyone out of harm’s way fast enough. And it’ll keep coming. Somehow it always found us.”

“The boats! It won’t float. Right?” the leader asked, turning to Tony.

“Untested, but my strong hypothesis is that it’ll sink, yes.”

“Get to the boats!” he shouted. Tony shook his head. There were too many people. He had no desire to re-enact the Titanic, but he ran to the harbour with the mass anyway. Maybe they had more vessels hidden there, like canoes or rowboats or buckets that floated.

When Tony reached the water’s edge, he saw Loki standing at the end of the furthest pier. He struggled through the crowd to get closer, and realised that Loki wasn’t on the weatherbeaten wood, he was directly in the water.

“Of course! The ice! Loki, you’re a genius,” he said as he approached. Said genius was pale and visibly trembling, but at least he wasn’t blue. And the ice beneath his bare feet held.

“Everyone, get on the ice! We have to move fast!” Tony shouted, gesturing at the people to follow him. Some appeared distrustful of the sleek surface, but the crowd behind them pushed them on. Loki started walking, creating fresh ice as he went along, and leaving a long trail of it stretching from the pier. The Asgardians followed him in a single file, carefully choosing their steps. Tony stayed at the pier, looking towards the hill. The tank was coming, shooting at the town as it approached, destroying more buildings. It couldn’t reach them, but it wouldn’t take long for it to get in range. People were still running towards them amidst the crumbling houses, miraculously dodging the falling debris. Tony would have so much explaining to do to Valkyrie, but that would have to wait for later.

“Come on!” he hollered. Loki and the villagers were heading towards the open sea. One rowboat had joined them, while the ones with motors were still preparing to leave. Tony was looking directly at them when a blast hit them. Since there was no explosion, he figured the EMP mode had been on. As people kept coming in, he also realised that no one had been killed yet. There were some injuries, but a quick headcount by the stereotypical viking next to him confirmed that everyone was on the ice now, or rushing to get to it. Plus four people in the rowboat.

“Is it playing with us?” Tony wondered aloud. He couldn’t explain the tank’s behaviour. If it had wanted them dead, there should’ve been plenty of opportunities. If whoever was driving had wanted to negotiate, that could’ve been arranged easily enough as well. But pushing them towards the ocean made no sense since it couldn’t possibly have known that they could escape via that route. Unless it did.

“Definitely not after me,” Tony said. The man next to him ushered him on, and Tony went. He was the last one to step down. As soon as he did, no new ice formed behind him. Tony looked up, and met Loki’s eyes. He was far enough off from the harbour that there would be dozens if not hundreds of feet of water under him. Tony tried not to think about it. They were entirely reliant on Loki, and knowing how feeble his condition was, Tony wasn’t very optimistic about their chances of survival. If the tank didn’t get them, the water surely would.

*****

They walked on the ice until they were so far from New Asgard that it looked like a miniature village. The mountains behind it dwarfed it further, making the shore blend into a long strip of stone and forest that had no defining features. Tony wouldn’t be able to find back on his own. He walked through the crowd -- they were moving as a single large group rather than a queue now -- and made his way to Loki’s side. The rowboat was slightly ahead of them, gliding through the water with a splash that contrasted strongly against their silent footsteps on the ice.

“Holding up okay?” Tony asked. Loki had gone blue again, which had caused less of a stir among the people than he’d expected. Perhaps changing colour was a normal feature of Asgardians, though Tony had never witnessed such before or even heard of it. Not that he knew much. Despite Thor’s prolonged presence on Earth, he shared little of his home and people that wasn’t tales of glorious battles.

“Unh,” was Loki’s quiet answer. Tony took it to mean that he could keep going for a little bit longer, but they’d better think of something fast. What that something would be remained a dilemma. Tony could see nothing solid as far as his eyes worked, and returning to the mainland would mean being greeted by the tank. They must be far enough to be invisible amidst the waves, but considering how the tank had always found them, it most likely had a radar or a targeting system and knew exactly where they were.

“Keep it up. We’ll figure this out. Maybe a cruise ship or a fishing vessel will happen by and notice our plight.”

Tony struggled to remain positive, but since there was nothing else he could do at the moment, he focused his efforts on boosting their morale. Being useless was not in his nature.

“Maybe we’ll get really lucky and pretty mermaids will come rescue us. Or a friend of mine will happen to fly by and go get help. Like that seagull. Wait, where’s it going?”

Tony received his answer when the rowboat returned from scouting ahead.

“Land!” the lookout shouted. There was a cheerful stir among the people, though no exuberant jubilation yet. Tony remained cautious too, since he couldn’t see anything noteworthy in the ocean anywhere.

“It’s a rock. Not large, but we should all fit,” the people in the rowboat explained.

“Lead the way,” the stereotypical viking said. He tapped Loki on the shoulder, prompting him to pay attention. Tony cringed when he saw Loki’s slack expression and half-closed eyes. They weren’t out of the woods yet. Or, well, water.

Their final approach towards the rocks was slow. Loki started stumbling, and two villagers supported him between them, all but carrying him. As his strength waned, so did the integrity of the ice. Tony’s shoes were soaked from walking through what was more sludge than ice now, nearly touching the water beneath. They squeezed into an even tighter group, but the edges kept crumbling away. Three people were already swimming.

“We can do this!” Tony said. He felt like a particularly annoying cheerleader, but he’d be damned if he gave up now. The rocks were so enticingly close. Most of the Asgardians would probably make it by swimming already, but not everyone was in their physical prime and a few were injured. Tony himself wasn’t convinced he would, but hopefully he wouldn’t have to find out the hard way.

They kept walking on the shrinking ice. The rocks were clearly visible now. They were barren and only barely above the surface of the ocean. Occasionally a larger wave washed over them. What shelter they offered wouldn’t be comfortable, but at least they wouldn’t have to swim to keep afloat. And best of all, no one would be shooting at them.

“Okay people, let’s be smart about this. Children and elderly and the injured to the middle where they’ll be the warmest and safest, and the biggest and strongest people to the edges. As none of you barbarians have phones and mine was integrated into my suit, we might be facing a long wait before someone finds us. Unless anyone has any other suggestions?”

No one spoke up. Instead, they started climbing onto the rocks in neat order. There was astonishingly little pushing and rushing which confirmed to Tony that he wasn’t dealing with humans but with an entirely different species. Being a frail Earthling, he probably should’ve gone to the middle with the infants, but his pride kept him at the outer rim. Loki was still standing on the remnants of the ice, keeping it solid while the last people hopped off it. Tony was amazed that he was still upright and conscious. Either he was more stubborn than Tony had given him credit for -- or he cared a whole lot more than he let on.

“And that’s the last one,” Tony said. As if the words had given him permission, Loki collapsed. He would’ve plunged directly into the ocean, but the Asgardians were ready to catch him. He was transported to the middle and laid gently to lie with his head on an elderly woman’s lap. The others positioned themselves around him, supporting his limbs on their persons. Tony had to look away. The scene felt too private for him, like he was witnessing something intimate.

“Where will the sun come up from?” Tony asked from no one in particular, mainly to distract himself. Someone next to him pointed towards the mainland where they had come from. He could just see the tips of the mountains in the distance, and green below them, but little else. The sky was still that unnerving light blue it had been since they reached the village. Had he been there a couple of months earlier, he would’ve witnessed the midnight sun in all its glory.

“Does this place look like home to you guys?” he asked. The person next to him only looked at him, but a woman -- one of the pregnant three -- wiggled closer to him.

“There are similarities. But the air is different, much thinner but fuller here. Like there is no magic, but so much life.”

“Are you a witch?” Tony asked. He hoped the term wasn’t derogatory in Asgard. He would probably be taking a very sudden bath if it was.

“No, but I do have some affinity. Like one who hears music with perfect pitch but cannot play an instrument.”

“You could always learn?”

“It’s not that simple,” the woman said. Tony didn’t pry further. He had so many questions about the Asgardian culture and way of life, but perhaps being stuck on a rock in the middle of the ocean wasn’t the most ideal situation in which to ask them. Wishing to keep the mood light, Tony decided to formally introduce himself and asked everyone to tell him their names. Most took his attempts with good humour, starting to add little details about themselves. Soon they were laughing at Bjørn’s ode to his favourite sword, and Vilde’s tale of her pet pine cone going missing. Tony’s spirits were so thoroughly lifted he didn’t notice the small black dot between them and the mainland getting closer.

*****

“... and of course, when I opened the lid, there it was. My sister was making pine soup out of my pet.”

The roar of laughter was greater than the story deserved, but no one seemed to mind. It felt good to pour all their anxiety into a positive emotion. Tony felt almost purified, wiping tears from his eyes. Better than hysteria, though he wasn’t certain that they all weren’t traipsing at the edge of it. Luckily the night wasn’t too cold, the warmth they gained from each other was sufficient to keep them if not comfortable then at least not actively suffering. Tony’s feet were annoyingly cold though. Dry socks and shoes would’ve done a lot for him, but considering that some of the Asgardians had been fully soaked, he didn’t dare to complain about such minor discomforts.

“Speaking of accidentally roasted house animals, have I ever told about the time --”

The man was interrupted by a missile landing a few hundred meters short of them. After the splash settled, everyone looked towards the rising sun. The brightness had hidden it, but now they saw the tank approaching them. Tony couldn’t see how it was managing to stay afloat, but it was moving swiftly and silently.

“Oh shit oh fuck oh hell oh why,” he moaned, trying to remain calm. Their haven had turned into a deadly trap in a heartbeat. With Loki still unconscious, they didn’t have enough magical skill between them to light a match, never mind attempting any sort of counter attack.

No magic, but perhaps something more mundane. Tony raised his remaining glove and aimed at the tank. He drained all the power he had remaining and blasted at it, aiming low to hopefully blow a hole in its hull or rock it enough to tip it over. His last ditch effort proved as useless as all the others before it, and the tank kept approaching.

“What the hell do we do now?” Tony asked from no one in particular. Another shot splashed them with water, falling just a couple of metres short. “We have like three seconds before we’re obliterated. What is left to try?”

“Stark,” Loki called. His voice was weak but Tony heard the command in it. With potentially two seconds left to live, he might as well hear what he wanted to say. He hopped over, pushing people aside as he went. No time for manners. Loki was waiting with his arm raised. For a moment, Tony thought he wanted to hold hands and automatically went to respond to the plea for connection, but as he did, Loki motioned for his other hand, the one with the repulsor on it. Tony switched quickly, starting to sense what Loki intended. He saw a flash of green light and felt a sharp zap, but he had no time to stop and study them. He turned around and took hasty aim at the tank, firing as soon as it was in line of sight. Instead of the usual blast, he produced a green stream that struck true. A huge splash of water prevented them from seeing what the result was.

“Can’t have been that easy,” Tony said. ”One shot and destroyed, that never happens.”

As the mist settled, they saw that the tank’s bow right below the cannon had a hole in it. Purple goo was oozing out of it and sizzling as it hit the water, evaporating immediately.

“What the crap,” was all Tony could say. Whatever the tank was, it was clearly damaged. Most likely fatally.

“Is that thing actually alive? Is that its shell, like on a beetle? Is it polluting our ocean?”

“It is not of Asgardian origin, we do not know,” the stereotypical viking said. The others shook their heads as well. Everyone’s eyes were fixated on the tank as it slowly leaked out and started to sink.

“Makkarat scout,” Loki said. Tony turned to look at him. “Disguised as an Earth vessel, but one of their constructions.”

“Now you tell us. Did you know how to defeat it all along?” Tony asked. He knelt down to be on level with Loki who was still lying on the villagers.

“No. Only when it transformed it occurred to me. They don’t usually look like that.”

Tony accepted the explanation. Loki would have had nothing to gain by getting killed by the machine, or allowing his new home to be destroyed by it.

“How devious of them, luring the rulers away and attacking the village. Wonder how the negotiations are going.”

“Probably not well,” Loki said with a grin. Drops of sweat were beading on his forehead and Tony thought he was breathing too fast for doing nothing more strenuous than lying down.

“So, now what?” Tony asked. The tank had fully submerged, leaving behind a trail of purple mist.

“The boat is damaged,” one woman said. Tony turned to look, and saw that the rowboat had a long gash on its side too close to the waterline to be seaworthy. So much for rowing back to the mainland to get help.

“So, our boat is broken and the distance is too great for swimming. Marvellous.” Tony said and sat down. His trousers were immediately soaked through.

“Give me a moment and I can return us the same way we came here,” Loki said.

“How do you replenish magical energy?” Tony asked.

“Uh, like any energy. Rest and sustenance.”

“Neither of which are available here. No offence, but you look like you’re two steps short of a heart attack. If you collapse halfway between here and home, we’ll all drown.”

“Then what do you suggest?” Loki asked. Tony found it telling that he didn’t raise his head off the old woman’s lap.

“How about that ship?” a child asked and pointed towards the sky. Tony followed her finger and could’ve wept with joy. His own jet, coming to their rescue.

“Wave your arms!” he said, but it was obvious that the craft already knew where they were. It came to hover above and a hatch opened.

“Stark!” Valkyrie shouted. “Why are you there with my people?”

“Long story!” Tony yelled back. “Get us aboard and we’ll tell you all about it!”

She came down with a rope ladder and helped pack every Asgardian on the ship. Tony wasn’t convinced they would all fit, but then he looked at the small collection of rocks where they’d just been and decided he was being foolish. If they could make that work, an aircraft should be no problem at all, as long as they didn’t hit the weight limit. Tony was the last one waiting to leave the rock, watching how Thor gently lifted Loki in his arms and climbed up with ease despite his burden. Throwing a last smile at their temporary refuge, Tony grabbed the thin rungs and started ascending. He hoped that Happy (who he assumed was driving) had marked this spot since they’d definitely have to return to dig up the tank to examine it. The technology to absorb his blasts should not go to waste.

“So how did it go with the Makkarat?” Tony asked as soon as he was settled and they started heading towards New Asgard. Thor was sitting on the floor with Loki on his lap, leaning limply against his shoulder. His skin was its usual colour again, but otherwise he looked terrible.

“Bunch of diplomatic nonsense. Didn’t make sense before, but now I see they were just wasting our time while they attacked my people,” Valkyrie replied, fury practically buzzing around her. Tony decided that she was interesting but also very scary.

“The tank came after me and Loki first,” he said. “Didn’t kill us though. Not sure if it meant to, or if it was herding us towards New Asgard on purpose.”

“And you went?” Valkyrie asked. The angles of her eyebrows let Tony know just how impressed she was with their actions.

“Had no choice. Besides, I heard you might be hiding weapons in the village that could destroy it. They didn’t, and all of it is gone now anyway.”

Before Valkyrie could ask exactly what was gone, they started landing in the ruins of New Asgard. It wasn’t a pretty sight, now that Tony saw the complete picture from the air. A couple of low huts were undamaged, but most of the buildings had been levelled. The temple they had been putting together had fallen apart. There were no tall spires standing anywhere.

“Are you kidding me,” Valkyrie said. She was looking at the destruction from the nearest window, frozen in place. Tony cringed. It wasn’t his fault, but he couldn’t help but feel responsible. Had they truly had no choice? Should they have tried harder to sink the tank before it could reach the village? Of course, now they knew that trying to sink it would’ve been useless, but would it have been more heroic to try anyway and lose his life in the process?

“It’s just brick and mortar and wood. Anything broken can be rebuilt. As long as you’re alive, you can mend things. That’s what I believe,” he said, and with the words, he realised how true they were. If there was something he could believe in, it was the future. His daughter, his wife, his life. They were all still there, waiting for him. What was a bit of destruction compared to the full vibrancy of life in all its shades.

“I’ll pay for it.” The words were out of his treacherous mouth before he could stop them. But as he looked around and saw the people, most of them holding each other, smiling, tired yet very much alive, he realised he didn’t care about the expense at all.

“But I insist you must erect a statue in my honour. Right in the middle of the village, in Tony Stark Square. Your saviour and sentinel.”

“Is he joking?” Valkyrie asked. Tony could only laugh. He allowed his eyes to roam over the group, and he settled on Thor and Loki. All jokes aside, they wouldn’t be alive without Loki. Considering how fiercely he protected his own, if the Asgardians settled on Earth and made their home more permanently there, Tony had an idea who they could recruit to join the Avengers next. It would be an absolute mess and a PR nightmare, old wounds would be torn open and old hatreds unburied, but he felt like there was something to be gained in the end.

“Welcome home,” he said quietly, and nodded at Thor. The answering smile blazed brighter than the sun.


End file.
